Fungal diseases, thriving in the brown bridge, could invade growers’ paddocks as they relax at the beach for their summer holidays, causing 10 per cent or greater yield losses in next year’s crops, The Australian Centre for Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens (ACNFP) has warned.

Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Western Panel member and ACNFP Director, Richard Oliver (photo) revealed during the GRDC’s 2005 spring tour that one such fungal pathogen, Stagonospora nodorum, causes annual disease losses of up to $45 million in WA in wheat.

Necrotrophic fungal pathogens cause fungal diseases in post-harvest stubble, as well as affecting growing plants, threatening Western Australia’s grain industry.

ACNFP, a GRDC supported centre at Murdoch University, has completed the biggest genomic sequencing project in the southern hemisphere.

Completing this genomic sequencing enabled ACNFP to map the genetic structure of Stagonospora nodorum, a fungal pathogen that causes Septoria leaf and glume blotch, a major wheat disease in WA and globally one of the top three wheat diseases.

“This is quite significant because globally there has only ever been one other fungal pathogen sequenced,” Professor Oliver said.

“No wheat cultivars are very resistant, so the only other way to control fungal diseases is by spraying with fungicides, however this is a cost burden on graingrowers and can have a negative impact on the environment.”

He explained that by identifying all the genes in a pathogen, solutions can be devised to control the disease it causes.

“We have successfully sequenced Stagonospora, which means we essentially possess a blueprint of how this fungus works and by knowing how it works, we can devise new ways to control it,” Professor Oliver said.

“We can then apply this knowledge to other fungal diseases,” he added.

Stagonospora is closely related to other fungal diseases, including blackleg in canola, ascochyta in legumes, yellow spot in wheat and net blotch in barley.